Improvement in chain-pumps



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. connut, or NEWARK, onto, Assrcnon Aro HiMsnLr AND H. nsHBAUGH.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4 3,253, dated June 2l,1864.

taken centrally through my improved chainpump. Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse section through the curb-box, and also through the lower endof the shaft. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged vertical section of themetallic boxing and flaring bell-mouth at the base of the tubular shaft,and also shows the valve-seat and position of the valves as a bucketpasses culiar form of my bucket-links.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre-l sponding parts in theseveral gures.

This invention and improvement in chainpumps has for its object theapplication to the lower end of the hollow tubular shaft, throughwhichthe buckets pass as they ascend, of a metallic foot-piece, which isso constructed that it :forms a boxing for embracing the lower end ofthe shaft, a valve-seat for the valves, a flaring tubular shell-mouthfor receiving and properly centering and directing the chain in itsupward movement and facilitating the influx of water into the shaft 5and, lnally, it serves to prevent the buckets and chain from workinguntrue in consequence of the wearing of the parts through long usage ofthe pump, as will be hereinafter described.

My invention also has for its object the construction of the valves inthe tubular `shaft in such manner 'that while they will freely open andallow the chain with its buckets to pass up through the shaft inelevating Water said valves will be suddenly forced down on their seatsby the reaction of the water above them, and at the same time closedtightly by one of the buckets, and thus prevent the pump-shaft fromloosing its water when the pump is not in operation, as will behereinafter described.

My invention also has for its object the formation of a downward-flaringthroat directly above the valves, for thepurpose of allowing the latterto freely open, and also for the purpose of allowing or causing thereflux of water above the valves to spread outward and to actsimultaneously upon the upper surfaces of both valves, and thereby forcethem down -upon their seats previously to the seating of one of thebuckets thereon, as will be hereinafter described. Also, a novelconstruction of the valves and valve-seats of the pump, whereby theformer are made to operate more quickly, and a substantiol centralbearing or support for the buckets is formed, which will allow saidbuckets to perfect-ly close the oritice through the valves when the pumpis not in operation, as will bc hereinafter described. Also a novelconstruction ofthe lifting-wheel, over which the chain, with itsbuckets,I passes, whereby the former is prevented from twisting orslipping, and at the same time supports and guides are formed adapted toreceive and retain the links .of the chain in their proper position toallow the latter to be Vacted upon with the greatest advantage, andparticularly to receive those links of the chain which are constructedespecially forreceiving and carrying` the buckets, all as will behereinafter described;

To enable others skilled in the `art to make and use my invention, Iwill describe its construction and operation.

i Intheaccompanying drawings, Arepresents the curb-box which receivesthe water drawn up from the well, and which also forms a support forthebearin gs of the lifting-wheel shaft, as shown in Figs. l and 2. Fromthis curbbox proceeds downward into the well the vertical tubular shaft,through which the water is drawn by means of cylindrical blocks orbuckets affixed at proper intervals to a revolving chain. This shaft B,which is usually made of wood, may be of any desired length, accordingto the depth of the well, and, it necessary, made up of sectionsproperly united together, so as to increase its length. The bore oropening a, through shaft B, is suddenly enlarged at its lowermost end,so as to form a downward flaring throat and valvechamber, b, which willbe further described. Surrounding the lower end of shaftB is ametallicbox, B', which may form a part of a flaring metallic extension, C, ofthe shaft B, as shown in Figs. l and 2, or, what may be preferable, theboxing B and the ext( nsion foot-piece@ may be cast separate'andrthenunited by the iianges and bolts, as shown in Fig. 3, in which case thevalve-leather can be made to form a packing by interposing'it betweenthe iianges. The metallic box Bserves as a means of securin g thefoot-piece C to the shaft B, and this box also serves to prevent thelower end of said shaft from swelling and leaking, while the loweriiarin g extension, C, forms a guard, which serves to protect the woodenshaft from the abrading action of the revolving buckets and chain. Theconstruction of this flaring portion C is clearly shown in Fig. 1,wherein it will be seen that a circular orilice, a', of the diameter ofthe bore a of the shaf't B, and coincident therewith, continues downfrom the top of C a short distance and terminates in a iiaring openingof the form of a bell-mouth, which will in practice be submerged inthewater at the bot-tom of the well. By this form of opening it will beseen that the buckets 0 on the chain c will be brought directly in aline with the bore of the shaft B as they successively enter the neck ofthe portion U and crowd the water into the valvechamber b. It will alsobe seen that the water which is within the flaring portion of C will nothave an opportunity to iiow oft' laterally from the buckets o as theyenter it and pass upward, hence the quantity of water elevated will begreatly augmented. The upperportion of the Haring foot-piece C has adepression formed in its surface which leaves two shoulders, e e, and inthis depression the two flap-valves g y are seated,so that the metallicstiifening-plates of these valves will exactly iit into the recess whensaid plates lie iiat in their places. The thickness of these valveplatesf f is exactly equal to the depth ofthe recess above referred to. Theleather packing h h, which covers plates f, may by this arrangement besecured back of the shoulders e e, and at the same time allow the valvesto fit tightly on their seats. The object of applying thestiffening-plates f on the lower surface of the leather portions h h isthat a leather seat will be formed for receiving the buckets o when theyrest upon the closed valves and close the opening i through the centerof these valves, and also to prevent the leather from drawing up andleaving an opening at the junction of the edges of the valves when theyare seated. The latter object is effected by causing the valve-plates fto abut against the shoulders e e as they close,and the former object iseffected by making the oriicet somewhat smaller than the orifice a orthe bottom of any one ofthe buckets. Thus when any one of the buckets isseated upon the valves, it will be supported by the overreachingportions of plates f and the leather covering these portions. As anadditional security against leakage of the valves when a column of wateris pressing upon a bucket resting on them, as shown in red, Fig. 1, Ihave applied an annular flaring ring, j, of leather or other suitablematerial, around the orifice 1, the inncr edges of which flare upwardand serve to a great extent to center the bucket over the orifice t',and also to form a packing around the sides of the buckets when in theposition above indicated. This ring is affixed to the leather portions LL and split diametrically, so that each half will rise and fall with itsrespective valve.

The valve-chamber b, which is formed by flaring the bore a, of the shaftB., is of such form (represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3) that while itwill allow the two sections of the valves to open as the buckets pass upbetween them, it will also allow the water above the buckets to iiowdown behind them and close them immediately the operation of drawingwater is stopped. y The entire column of water will be brought suddenlyto act upon the two valves, when the upward motion ofthe buckets ischecked,vand if the crank-handle of the lifting-wheel be released thebucket immediately above the valves will ldescend and seat itself uponthem, as above described, and stop the further flow of the water out ofthe shaft B,

thus avoiding the loss of time and labor whichl would be required toraise the water from the bottom of the well at the commencement ofdrawing, if the pump should be allowed to loose its water 7 every timeit was used.

The bucketchaine consists of a number of links united by eyes formed onthe ends of each link. At every certain interval in this chain I attacha block or bucket, c, to a looped link, d, which is formed by doublingthe ends of a rod of metal and then bending out the doubled ends atright angles to themselves, as shown in Fig. 4. The blocks or bucketsare formed around the projecting ends, and thus held securely in place.In bending the rods to form the bucket-links it must be observed thatthe eyes should be at right angles to each other 5 and this should alsobe the case with the single neck-links, which are attached to thebucket-chains.

With a chain thus constructed it is necessary to make the peripheries ofthe drivingwheels for operating it .of such form that the eyes of thelinks will have iiat supports upon shoulders formed on one or both ofthe wheels, and also side or lateral supports for receiving the necks orshanks of the links' and keeping the same from twisting or kinking,77and also for preventing the chain from slipping in any direction. Forthis purpose I construct the drivin g-wheel G with scallops n n aroundits circumference arranged at regular distances apart for receiving thebuckets c, as shown in Fig. 1. These scallops necessarily leaveprojections p p, each one of which has a deep' groove formed in it whichforms two side lips, r r, between which the straight portion of the linkis confined. These lips are outward, so that they will not be liable toloose the chain, and their extremities are so conti acted as to leavethe shoulders s s on each side of them, which shoulders, together withthe vertical groove, receive the links and retain them in place as longas they are in contact with the wheel. The links will arrange themselvesupon such a wheel in the manner represented in Figs. 1 and Q-ire., asthe wheel G revolves and draws up the buckets the eyes of those linkswhich coincide with the shoulders s s will be received on them, whilethe opposite eyes, which are at right angles to these, will fall intothe grooves or bifurcations and be retained in place by the sidesthereof. This form of wheel, it will be seen, is well adapted to receivethe bucket-links in its grooves and on its shoulders, and to keep thedouble shanks of these links in their proper relative positions with theother links, While the buckets will be received in the semicircularspaces between the forked supports. The lower or guide wheel, J, is alsoconstructed with a scalloped edge for receiving the buckets, asillustrated in Fig. 1'; but instead of employing the forked lugs, as inwht el Gr, I score the edges of the projecting link-receiving portions tof this wheel J so as to form an X-groove in each, as shown in Fig. 2.This latter wheel is supported in pendent bearings F, which are securedto the side of the metallic boxing around the bottom of the shaft B,and, being let into one side of the bell-mouth C, the circumference ofthis wheel will keep the ascending chain in a line coinciding with theaxis of the tubular shaft. The upper wheel, Gr, is also arranged in suchrelation to the bore of the shaft B as to keep the chain. and buckets ina proper position therewith as they are drawn up.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by LetteiS Patent, is-

l. Applying to the lower end of a chainpump shaft a metallic boxing, BC, so constructed that it forms an inclosing-socket for the end of saidshaft, and also an extensionguard for protecting it from wear, and foreen` tering the buckets, substantially as described.

2. The iiaring or bell-mouth metallic extension C, applied to the lowerend of the tubular shaft B, and constituting the valve-seat andfoot-stock of the pump, substantially as described.

3. Flaring or enlarging the lower extremity of the bore of the tubularshaft B, in combination with the valve-chamber b andvalve g y,substantially as described.

4. Constructing the periphery of the whee G with laterally-forwardsupportinglipsand vertically-sustaining shoulders, adapted for receivingtwo links of a chain having eyes formed at right angles to each other,substantially as herein described.

5. The combination of the looped bucketlinks d with a driving-wheel G,having its periphery constructed substantially as described.

6. The combination of the chain-pulley J with a metallicsocket-extension, C B', which also constitutes the valve-seat of thevalves g g, substantially as described.

' Witness my hand in matter of my application for a patent forimprovement in chainpumps.

J. M. CON N EL.

Witnesses:

R. T. CAMPBELL, E. SGHAFER.

